Decluttering Part V : KITCHEN CUPBOARDS

Oh yes, the title HAD to be in caps... this is a major.

I have lived in this house 10 years now (in July). And though we have done cosmetic improvements, and cleaned out the cupboards for the sake of keeping them from being gross, I have never really emptied and wiped them out from top to bottom whilst being critical of the contents! Sure I have chucked broken plastic containers, and upheld the one-in-one-out rule with mugs, plates and other hardware, but I have never really critically thought about the tea and baking supplies, and other food-stuffs cupboards.

With my new outlook on what is worth my time and space, I have successfully annihilated a bunch of stuff from 3 seriously forgotten top shelves. Like the PH kit for the wading pool we no longer have, the spare lids and valves for the baby sippy cups we no longer use, the vases in 4 different placed pared down to a few favourites in ONE place!... the list goes on. And what do you know, now that I have done that, things FIT in the cupboard and I have a real chance of seeing what's in there without an avalanche (Spider, don't laugh).

Now is a tougher job.... the top shelf in my dish cupboard. There are some lovely artisan crafted stoneware items in there that fill me with pride at owning them -- BUT -- that I never use.

Is pride of ownership enough to have them jammed in that cupboard surrounded by other barely used things?

Is it doing them any honour up there?

Should I care?

I think I may see what other things I can weed out first and see where that leads.

For example, I have a really good quality set of English stoneware plates that we got as a wedding present from my now-past Grandma. They got "promoted" from fancy dinner plates (kept in the china cabinet) to everyday enjoyed plates at the point when T's Gran passed and we got a set of her fine China. At first I felt bad about it, worried they would get damaged or something but the plates are fantastic as everyday plates and they get to be enjoyed every single meal, so now I see it as a great thing..... Anyways, this English stoneware came with EIGHT teacups and saucers. I am a mug kinda gal, I use the teacups about once a year, and then I have never used more than 4 at a time for guests. My conundrum is these things take up A LOT of real estate in my cupboard, but I feel they should stay with the set, even though they don't get used -- It's a good quality set after all. (Spider, do you think you could sell a set of four of them? It would be a donation to your cause. I could bring them up after my car is on the road... oh ya, I have some cut crystal candlesticks that I can give you too!) That's settled, I will pack them up for transport, and see if I change my mind before they head out.... having the extra room for the artisan casseroles may be the motivation I need.

Now back to decluttering!

Another Beautiful MS Walk

Sunday was the 2009 Walk for Multiple Sclerosis, we go every Spring. (Last year's was also BEAUTIFUL -- and then the next weekend it snowed -- thank goodness they aren't calling for any drastic weather this weekend).

There was a HUGE turnout this year! 100s of people came out to walk/run/ride in support for finding a cure for MS, and the atmosphere was very festive. a large group showed up in gowns.... kind of like miss america evening gowns, and the best part was the men that dressed for that too! Full grown men in floor length gowns walking alongside their spouses with little tiaras on their heads!!!! There were dozens of dogs and babies and people in serious running gear too. Balloons, songs, a bouncy castle and that short of thing was happening at the main area, then the walk began to the sound of bagpipes! After a lovely stroll (albiet crowded at the beginning) at the halfway point there was a cadet's marching band, and more music as we came back to the grounds. There was food and more time to bounce for the kids, and then it was time to go.... by all accounts a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.

(Last I heard the event raised $75,000 for the MS Society -- I'm not sure if that was just our city though)

Then after that we had to rush off to my niece's 4th birthday. She was having a princess party, and though we were late-comers to the party, there were still tonnes of little pink frilly girls to be found! The most entertaining thing for me was watching the little angel playing keep-away with the boys' balloon..... she was winning for sure!

growth spurt: Decluttering Part IV

Remember how I said I like to put the off-season clothes away?

Well the same goes for my kid's clothes, and because there are 4 years between my boys, the still wearable, older boy's things get put aside as they are outgrown for the younger boy. (I used to give Cami's stuff to his nephew when we were done with them, but the last couple years Caden has been on par with Cami, so that doesn't happen anymore.)

Also, my neighbour gives her used 10 year old boy's clothes down to us (he is very tiny for his age so often Cami barely fits them). Because of the generosity of the neighbour timed perfectly with Cami's recent growth spurt, I somehow forgot to check the bin halfway through the Winter! He grew a whole size and I didn't need to buy a thing (except some PJ's and undies near Christmas). Yesterday, I went through the bin for decluttering, and I found a huge portion of the items (that he wasn't big enough for at the beginning of the Winter), are too small already!

While I was at it, I checked the Summer stuff, and had to dump about half of that too. So a whole size was skipped in a very short time, those of Stevie's outfits I was looking forward to getting more use out of, have to go straight to charity. (The good news is most are still in great shape, and it has always been hard to find second hand boy's clothes that aren't worn right out!) I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little sad by some of it.... and still exhilerated by the idea of being able to easily empty another bin!

Before they lulled around too long, I packed the heaping bag of boy's clothes into the car and took them to my favourite charity thrift shop (along with the afore mentioned trench coat).

Two steps forward, one step back.

I successfully tackled the drawers in my China cabinet, culled the junk, put things where they should be, and you know what?! I found a gift certificate at my local Grocery Store for $25! I don't even remember who gave it to us, or when, but thankfully even though the store has moved and slightly changed their name since this certificate was issued, they still honoured it!!!! (I love that store).

I also went through the linen closet, we had a terrible phase when the towels kept getting bleach stains on them... a full HALF of my towels were ruined from it, so now I am replacing them slowly with WHITE. I kept putting them out because they still work as towels, but man they make me cringe every time I see them hanging in the main bathroom. Conpound that with the over-stuffed condition of my closet and the decision wasn't too hard. I took out half of the worst of them (where the marks were most obvious) and put them in a "dog towel" bin. They are gone from general circulation in my bathroom, and out of that closet.

BUT despite all the progress, I did go thrift store shopping yesterday.

I went to donate a bag of linens that no longer were in regular use (too baby-ish for the growing boys), and they had a "sale" on. All adult clothes for $1.49, and all kids clothes for 49 cents.

I went in "just to look" and came out with a pair of pants for Stevie, a RW & Co blouse in a vibrant blue, a real angora sweater in tan, a long trench coat (in the exact same colour and style as my favourite short trench coat), a pair of black GAP Capri's and, last but not least, a cute scoop neck capped sleeve t-shirt.... all in all I was very happy with my quick dive into the racks, and all for under $10 (including the tax)!

(Oh, and I got a Canadian-made leather belt for $0.49 too)

I am not going to beat myself up about it, I like it all and there was room in my closet for it. The decluttering slipped a peg, nobody is perfect!

BUT of course now I will be getting rid of my worn out, black, long trench coat just to be good.

++++++++++++++++++++++

On a slightly different topic, I am reading a book by Peter Walsh, "Does this Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat?"

He is about respecting your body by not eating "food clutter". I am enjoying the principle of it, but I am not sure I want to get rid of ALL my junk food! (T has been asking me to do it for YEARS, but I don't want to, so I know I won't -- yet). I am working on it. I do make better choices about what will come into this house and that includes being more discriminating about packaged foods. And I want to be healthy, so that makes the choices easier... but there are occassions when a big greasy bit of deep fried something is exactly what I am craving, and I am all about lsitening to what my body is telling me..... as long as it doesn't lead me astray too often...

Slaying a monster over a couple decades

Okay, this isn't technically decluttering, but it kind of goes along with being mindful and taking responsibility for my surroundings.

Yesterday, my sister was telling me the interest rate she got for her new place's mortgage, and though the bi-weekly installments stuck terror into my heart, the interest rate she got was VERY nice! Much better than mine.

So I got to thinking, "Hey I'm a great client! I've been an excellent payer all these years, I want a better rate now!" So I called my mortgage lender and asked them for a better rate on the remainder of my term.

They were very polite and spoke briskly and kindly, they quoted a fine rate for me, then they told me what I would pay for a penalty for negotiating early. The penalty was HUGE! (I really don't get it because when I read the contract it says the penalty is 3 months interest, and the number she gave me is way more than what I am paying for interest these months of late.... maybe it's the interest from the original moment of the loan? I don't know. ) The short version of our conversation is that the penalty taken off the interest I would save over the next 5 years would still put me ahead by $1100, but what a pain in the ass! I will have to think about that for a bit.

So I tried something else.... I asked her how much I could increase our bi-weekly payments without penalty if everything else stays the same. She gave me the figure, and it really wasn't very much more than we are dealing with now, maybe the equivalent of a lunch out for the family every 2 weeks.

Hmmmmm, doesn't sound like much, so I asked what difference that would make to the loan..... and the result was amazing!!!!!

She said we would be PAID OFF -- MORTGAGE FREE -- in 79 months!!!!! WOW!!! that extra little bit knocks 3 years off the mortgage!!! And she said we can reverse it at anytime without a charge if things get lean.

So I said YES, please make that change effective immediately. I always knew we should have started the extra payment idea way earlier, but I was always afraid it would strap us financially, and thought that extra little bit would be more useful elsewhere like in an emergency fund or something.... ah, hindsight...

A brief history of the mortgage with this place:

• -We got the house in mid 1999, with a 25 year mortgage (for the mathematically challenged: we expected the house to be ours by 2024).
• -We put the minimum down, and have paid the minimum most of this mortgage (we were barely squeaking by for a few of those years).
• -A few years ago, when I got an inheritance, I plunked a chunk down on the principle
• -A couple years back I changed our payment frequency to every 2 weeks instead of monthly (because T's paycheck schedule changed).
• -Finally I am upping the payments by a relatively small amount.

The result: the finish line is within site.... 79 MONTHS!!! (We're measuring in months folks, not years!) That puts us out of the bank's debt seven and a half years earlier than expected!!! The kids won't have even left home by then!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! [she] chortled in [her] joy.

I am so happy that we stayed put over the years (not for lack of me trying). I have to say, this is really super-exciting to me! I feel optimistic, elated and very house-proud right now.

Good Vroooooom News

The car is fine.... my sweet and ever-generous husband cleaned it spic n span, and the crucial part we had been waiting to arrive from the US came yesterday!

Now T is prepping the part so it won't rust out like the old one did (apparently they just don't make that part anymore, and the search for a used one was really aggravating and expensive).

T had gotten the car to run beautifully without the part with the creative use of a plastic juice bottle (I should really take a picture before he fixes it). And we zipped up and down the road gleefully! Yes, that is the right word, I was giggling like a schoolgirl with my hair blowing in the wind.

That cute, little car will road legal and rolling around with the top down in no time! I will probably be road tripping to Victoria and Courtenay VERY SOON...

it HAD nice upholstery

I came home from taking the kids to school and heard a meowing.... I checked the laundryroom, the downstairs bathroom and realized to my dismay that it was coming from the garage.

The stupid black and white cat "MIKA" (that I suspect is the one has been spraying every stick of furniture on the back deck) was locked in the garage all night! Now my nice little convertible car that T just got running yesterday (!) is covered in little greasy cat prints, every square inch of upholstery in clear, dark, paw prints!!!! 10 or so hours to mess it up all to itself.

I did not dwell in there, I was afraid I would find something WORSE than just prints. I opened the garage door and the cat WHOOSHED out to the street at lightning speed.

The owner of the cat was not home, but I will tell them of the incident. They were probably concerned for it's whereabouts..... and honestly, I need an apology even if it was beyond their control. The idiot cat may have turned the pristine light grey upholstery of my new car into a stained, junker's upholstery. There is a huge selection of dark, dirty, PERMANENT fluids that it could have tromped through in that garage before padding all over the inside of the car.... I want to cry.

Weekend highlights

Not everyone can say this with so much joy and enthusiasm, but the highlight of my weekend was getting my taxes done!!!!
(WHY? you may ask...)
Because a dear friend and travel companion is my accountant, and it's one of the few excuses that I have to hold him and his wife (one of my dearest and longest friends) at my home for a whole day (or 2)!!!
We started the day by sifting through the small mountain of papers that is my business filing. And then I made a cauliflower-yam soup that turned out very well.

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion chopped
5 large cloves garlic
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger
chopped/crushed
A very small pinch of saffron
1 large head of cauliflower chopped coarse
8 ounces approx. of chopped yam
2 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan saute butter, onions and garlic until softened. Add curry powder, ginger. Cook another two or three minutes.Add cauliflower, yam, and chicken stock to the saucepan and simmer covered until vegetables are softened using moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Transfer soup to food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return to heat, add
saffron, lime juice, salt and pepper. Once desired temperature is reached, serve.

Then back to the paperwork.... This fellow is a magic person to me, it always seems to work out well. I always have to PAY thanks to my self-employed income, but T always gets some back and that offsets it considerably.

Then Spider and I went for a little walk around the block with my dog, and then I made a hearty spagetti dinner. The weather was very nice and the company was unbeatable!!!

And Spider helped me by taking a couple boxes of stuff out of my home for her to sell or give to charity.

(as for the rest of my family, they all found things to keep themselves amused... mostly riding bicycles.)

Decluttering Part III : Closet revisited

I went through my closet and drawers AGAIN. This time with the goal that I would fit my off-season clothes in there at the same time as the in-season clothes. SUCCESS!

It has long been my habit to pack away the clothes that were for the extreme seasons when not in use. Makes for more room in the closet and a fun re-discovery of items when I am ready to pull them out again. BUT of course, this leads to the temptation to buy fresh items before I remember that I have another box stashed away, and it means I basically have TWO closets full of clothes! The storage space is consumed by this lavish habit, and I am tired of guessing what I have for 1/2 the year.

So I purged viciously! If I haven't worn it in 6 months, I tried it on. (And I was very critical about what it felt like and what it looked like on my 37 year old body. I found a whole bunch of stuff that was now too small or too young, or even too dowdy, or simply never going to be chosen again.

Here are the highlights:

1) Some business-type outfits that I know I won't not choose for the couple of meetings a year that I dress up for. I kept a hot-day suit, a cold day suit and one that can be dressed up or down depending on the top. And a couple extra pairs of smart slacks for the more "casual" meetings that don't need a full-on suit. These suits were the hardest for me to let go of, because they are expensive and hard to replace.... but HONESTLY I never plan to work in an office setting again, and if I do decide I want to in the future, I will get some suits!

2) Pretty slips and negligees. I NEVER wear these! My sister used to have that high-end lingerie store, so I loved buying these pretty, fancy, flowing things, but I need to be honest that they just won't get worn. Not in this lifetime. (I confess I kept a couple -- just in case)

3) More shirts. I pared down my tops a bit more... nothing but my truly favourite ones are in there now. It feels good to open the closet and have such easy choices.

4) Shorts. My thighs are not for public viewing anymore. I kept 3 pair shorts that can only go to the beach, and 2 for at-home days. For public outings it will be summer dresses and Capri's ONLY.

5) Shoes. Okay, I only found one pair this time that I wanted to part with, but it still counts.

And other than the clothes, I managed to purge more books. I gave a big stack to the elementary school (so the kids can reference them any time they want). ALSO I have these big TOMES of classic literature that I got from T's Uncle's passing. They are pretentiously bound in leather with gilded edges, but I doubt I will ever read more that a couple of them. I am reading Moby Dick to Stevie right now (in all it's long-worded glory) and there are a couple more that I will keep, but the rest need a new home SOON.

PS: I went and saw my sister's soon-to-be-hers house. It is exactly the right layout for them in a neighbourhood that is convenient to schools and shopping. I like the decor and it is very bright and inviting. It's kind of like my house on steriods with the main living upstairs, and the recreation downstairs..... I hope they are happy there!

Spring has Sprung

I felt the same surge of joy as my dear Wolfgrrrl when I saw the skunk cabbage was in bloom yesterday. Even more than the appearance of daffodils, this sturdy, pungent yellow plant in the mud is the clear signal that the season of fresh starts is here!

Hooray for this stinky flora!

Sweet Words

I got a fantastic compliment today from a very valuable source.

My sister and I were discussing the fast pace changes that were happening in her household right now.

They sold their nice, new home in my neighbourhood and were in negotiations for another one at the other end of town. Well that fell down as the sellers weren't willing to come down to what my sister thought their property was worth. The very same day a house came on the hot-sheets that looked worth a view, so they went and looked. An offer was made within hours, and the realtor said a "multiple offer" situation was in play! It was sleepless night for my sister, but they "won" the house at $1000 over asking price and a very nice closing date. The house they just agreed to buy is a whopping 3000 SQUARE FEET! It's 20 years old, so needs to be thoroughly inspected for how much life is left on the BIG shake roof, etc....

Because of it's size.... 5 bedrooms, formal living and dining area, 3 bathrooms, huge eat in kitchen, an upstairs family room AND a downstairs family room and an entertainment room.... they don't have even half the furniture to fill it in. AND her husband has said he will be buying a big screen plasma TV and they are getting a trampoline for the yard to make the idea of moving less stressful for the kids (?)

I am freaking out for them worried about how much it will all cost! The house itself being bigger and older will cost more to run, the taxes are higher at that end of town and the mortgage will be about $100,000 more than what they owe now..... but they seem ready willing and excited to take all that on!!!! I wish them luck on that..... I really do.

As we were talking about all these new things, my sister mentioned the splitlevel house on Ranchview that was so perfect for me and my family. She said that her and mom thought we were crazy to not jump on that to fullfill the family wish list.... I just replied that as much as we liked that house, we really didn't need the WISH list to be filled because we had our NEED list (and then some) already with this house. I am happy here, happy with the house, the neighbourhood, the school, AND the payments too.

Then sister said something so nice that I almost cried. She said she always admired that about me -- how I can be happy with what I have.

(I always believed she found that a bit embarassing.)

So as I declutter more and more, I will keep that in the foreground of my mind. I AM happy with what I have: a roof over my head, a loving family, decent health, food in the cupboard and the means to keep house and home going. Everything beyond that is just icing on the cake (and I don't want too much icing to ruin the pleasure of life)

(Picture from http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=249959)

Decluttering Part 2 : Progress

I delved more into why I want to declutter. I think the seed was planted most seriously when I helped Tai move. It was so EASY!!!! All of her things were meaningful, had purpose and/or beauty, not minimalist, but cozy selectiveness.

That seed has been germinating in me, since that move many months ago and I just figured it out. I just need to find that peace that is in her flat by being more selective about what things I will keep company with! WHAT A BREAKTHROUGH!

This weekend, I went through my table linens drawer and removed anything that no longer made me feel inspired to host a big dinner. I went through my junk jewelry and tossed some old crappy trinkets that were either broken or ugly, I gave away all but my 2 favourite sports bras, and culled my tank tops down to 12..... (I know 12 is still too many, but this is a baby step).

Today I tore apart a section of my office that has been bothering me for a while.... the cupboard across from my desk. There are boxes in there that were "waiting to be dealt with". And today is the day!

What a mess I have created just by not being decisive!!

I have out of this cupboard gotten a hefty bag of garbage and a box of stuff for the goodwill and another box of stuff that's in the wrong place.... but it feels so good to be getting it done!

Welcome Home Baby!

She doesn't run (yet), and she's not practical, but I welcome her with open arms!

Here we Go: Decluttering Part 1

I am putting this out to the world so I may keep accountable. It's time to mean business!

Everything I have read (and everything that I feel in my heart) says that if I was not swamped in my past's belongings that I would be more free to let new experiences into my life. Not to say that the experiences I have now are unpleasant, but one day does seem to blend into the next, and I am feeling a bit suffocated by having every horizontal surface in this house crammed with things. On a scale of 1-10 where 1 is extreme minimalist and 10 is extreme hoarding I am hovering around the 5-8 range depending on what room you are looking in. I would like my entire home to be at around 3 with a maximum of 6. I think it may then be more peaceful and still be cozy.

I have all the demons associated with clutter psychology.... guilt about it being a gift, worried about losing a memory associated with the things, emotional attachment, what if I need it, I'm not done with that project yet, I can fix it, it is valuable, I spent good money on it, I feel worthwhile surrounded by things, etc, etc, etc....

But all those demons also haunt me night and day by the shear volume of them. Each bit of stuff has a little whisper of why it's there, and all those little whispers add up to a roaring riot sometimes! I need some quiet. I need to let some things go so I can move on with life.

So where should I start?

Bedroom I think makes the most sense, since that's where my restorative sleep is supposed to happen.

Then the kitchen, because that's where my sustenance is prepared for my family to sit together.

Then my den, because that is where my prosperity comes from.

and so on and so on....

Tougher Decision

This one was strangely tougher. Everyone liked it this time.

But, we aren't going to put an offer in on that house.
Sure it has a great floorplan, and awesome yard, a terrific shop (plus a garage!), potential for groundfloor space for MIL (though on the smallish side) a mudroom and all the space we could ask for. It even fulfills a lot more on the want-list like a shade garden, vedgetable garden, paved area, fruit trees, hardwood floors, new bathroom fixtures, bigger bedrooms, a spacious den off the front foyer, good appliances, eat in kitchen, a woodstove and a gas fireplace, a big ensuite and staying in the neighbourhood.... the finishing is lovely and it's well kept too.

So what's the problem? Money!

We aren't willing to be house poor. $100Gs more is a lot of money no matter how you slice it, and it would add 15 years to our time with a mortgage. Then there is the consideration of the cost of buying and selling .... property transfer tax, legal fees, moving utilities, inspection, and the crippling real estate fee! It could easily get up to $20,000 worth of costs associated with changing houses. So, in short, we aren't so unhappy with our place that we feel compelled to move, even for the best place we have seen yet.

I'm not sure if I am sad or relieved.

Now how do I get a mud room and vedgetable garden in THIS place?